A Dark Continuation
by hockeynut178
Summary: To understand the following you must have read Of Mice and Men by John Stienback. This is just an extension of the book, a chapter 7 if you will. I did not wright the book, but this extension does belong to me with rights to John Stienback for actually writing the book. Written on December 6th 2012. Rated M for dark themes.


This was something I'd written that I wanted to post. Although its pretty sad

After the gruesome event, Slim persuaded George to calm himself. George and Slim both started to walk back towards the ranch. Curley and Carlson stayed behind after the others had left to bury Lennie.  
"You bring a shovel?" asked Curley.  
"Ya I bought one, but how we gonna move this big son-of-a-bitch?" Carlson asked as he bent down and picked up Lennies arm. Hidden under Lennie's arm was a scaly brown and yellow snake. The snake pounced at the man, defending itself. Carlson didn't know what hit him. Carlson let out a strange loud noise.  
"What was that? What happened?" Curley said as he spun around to see his grave digging partner sitting on the ground holding his blood covered leg.  
"It was huge!" Carlson exclaimed.  
"What was huge?"  
"The fucking snake that bit me, what else?" Carlson said bloody and enraged.  
"Did you see the snake? How big and what type?" Curley said in an exceedingly fast rate.  
"Big... brown and yellow'ey, and to hell if I know what type of snake it was"  
"Big, brown and yellow, could be a rattle snake." Curley said wittily.  
"What? Those are poisonous arn't 'em."  
"Ya, you ain't gonna make ten hours, and there ain't no doctors or pharmacy in miles."  
"What you gettin at Curley?"  
Curley wiped his face with his hands, and pulled his brimmed hat over his face,  
"You ain't gonna make it," he said in a grim voice. Carlson started to deny the fact that he was dying. "You'll make it back to the ranch and that's about it, you'll die before we get you to the hospital."  
Carlson started to cry, but suddenly stopped. He go up, ignoring the pain and the blood coming out of the wound and on his hand. "Curley, help me find my Lugar."  
"But your-" before he could finish, Carlson, enraged, said  
"Just find it!" Curley being afraid of what he might do, started to help look for the Lugar. As the two men looked for the gun there was a rustling in the bush. Without knowing the two men were being watched on by devilish eyes.  
"Ay Carl, I found the Lugar," Curley said in a monotone.  
"Good now help me up," he said while grunting in pain, "I've got to make it back to the farm before my time is up."  
"What you gonna do wit' it" questioned Curley.  
"None of your business," Carlson rebutted angrily, "We better head back to the ranch now."  
"Alright lets get outta this damn forest. I feel like someone's watchin' us" Curley said as he helped Carlson up and started to walk in a brisk pace.

As the golden sun had finally passed behind the glorious mountains. The sky had became full vibrant colors of violet and rose on a cloudless night. The wind was non-existent, and the air had become dry as if someone had just turned off a switch. The ranch had pain and anguish in the air, the ora was as dark as the darkest storm cloud.  
A man stood in the shadow of the barn, silhouetted by the barns colour. "Why," mumbled a voice to himself. "Why didn't he just listen, you damn fool." George finally turned and headed towards the bunkhouse. As he walked back he noticed movement coming from the brush. "What the-" he stopped himself in mid sentence and remembered that Curley and Carlson had stayed behind to bury his companion. The two men walking towards the ranch started to shout out for help. The voices barely reached George, at first he thought they were just the ruffling of the tree's, but it continued and the breeze had never picked up. He focused on the strange sound and realized the pleas for help. He called Slim from inside the barn where Crooks and Slim were creating a proper burial for the deceased woman. After gaining their attentions George turned around and started jogging towards the two men. Slim and Crooks were soon to follow with lanterns lit for the indefinite darkness. As George came closer to the two men he noticed that one was leaning on the other. After what felt like an eternity, all three of the men had made it to other two men in the bush.  
"What in the hell happen to you two?" Slim cursed at the two men.  
"Carlson," Curley's voice let out in a tremble, "H-he got bit. He ain't gonna last much longer, an' he says he wants to do somthin'."Curley finally said while huffing and puffing.  
"Bitten? By what? and the heck do you mean, 'he ain't gonna last much longer'?" Crooks objected  
"George, George come here a minute." Carlson tried to say in a strong voice but was clearly struggling to get out of his mouth.  
"Ya Carl? Just hang in there, you'll make it" George tried to say as positive as possible.  
"Don't you be sugar coating what we all know is gonna happen. I know I'm fading away, but I got somethin for you." Carlson let out while slurring his words and handing the dirty Lugar to George.  
"Why you givin me your Lugar?" George said confused.  
"You'll understand sooner or later" Carlson told George in his few last breaths. "I'd better go to sleep now, stop all the hasslin." Carlson let out weakly, and slowly closed his eyes, stopped moving, then passed.  
"What's with this bad luck?" Slim said in his head then aloud.  
"It's his fault," Curley yelled angrily while pointing at George. "Ev'r since those two come here its been all bad luck."  
"Now you shut your mouth!" Slim said angrily. "George ain't done nothin wrong. He even killed his cousin cause your dirty little wife couldn't keep her damn mouth shut!"  
"That's enough," Crooks said interrupting the two men. "We don't need a third death in one day, and if you two keep goin' at each other, I can't guarantee that you both will live to see tomorrow."  
"No," said a small voice, "It is our fault." Other men noticed that it was George admitting to being at fault for what happened.  
"No George don't you be blaming yourself." Slim said as he put his arm on George's shoulder. George shunned his voice and head back to the bunk house.  
"What, you aint gonna help bury him?" Curley yelled at George.  
"Jus' shut you mouth an help us bury him." Slim said.  
After finishing burying Carlson, the three men headed back to the ranch. Crooks broke off from the group to go to his room in the barn. Curley and Slim kept walking towards the bunkhouse, but before they made it inside, Slim had tripped Curley, pinning both of his arms and legs to the ground.  
"You lay one finger on'em, I'll kill ya. Got it?" Slim said while Curley was struggling to get his hands free.  
"What are you getting at?" Curley said while still struggling.  
"You heard me you bastard. I'm dead serious."  
"Alright, just get offa' me." Slim got up and brushed off dust from his pants. The two men casually walked into the bunkhouse. Both men's jaws dropped as they say the lifeless body on the ground. There was two notes. One laying on the floor next to the blood covered body, the other on the bunk of Candy.  
"Oh god, Oh my dear god" Slim whispered as he went to pick up the note that was with the body.  
"What's it say" Curley asked kindly as he put his hand on Slims shoulder.  
"This is my payment for Lennie, please forgive him." Slim said as a tear came to his eye. Slim backed up until he hit the wall of the bunkhouse and slid down, tears flowing down his eyes.  
The other letter was addressed to Candy, and Crooks. As Curley was about to open it Slim put his hand on Curley's shoulder. Slim looked Curley in the eye and said "Its not addressed to you, go find Candy and give it to him" Curley accepted Slims word and went to find Candy, but before he made it out of the bunkhouse Candy walked through the door. Before Candy could even register what had happened Curley shoved the letter into his face and said, "It's addressed to you." Candy was totally stunned but he pulled himself together and opened the note. The note was in handwriting and said, "Dear Candy and Crooks,  
I know I've caused many problems but I hope you can forgive me and remember my advice. To Candy, don't stop saving your money, you can make it to the amount needed to buy the land, I put the address on the back. If you need help get it from Crooks, he's a good man as you know and he would probably freely help. To Crooks, never forget who you are, no mater how old you get you are still a man. Black or White.

P.S. I'll say hello to Lennie all of you."


End file.
